'Jeopardy' Champ Amy Schneider's Winning Streak Comes to an End After 40 Games

Jeopardy!

After 40 games, Amy Schneider's winning streak on Jeopardy! has come to an end.

The software engineering manager lost to Rhone Talsma, a librarian from Chicago, during Wednesday's episode. Schneider finished in second place with $19,600, while Talsma came in first with $29,600.

At the end of her history-making run, Schneider's total winnings add up to $1,382,800. This puts her in fourth place behind top earners Matt Amodio ($1,518,601), James Holzhauer ($2,462,216), and Ken Jennings ($2,520,700).

The question that stumped Schneider came during the Final Jeopardy! category "Countries of the World."

"The only nation in the world whose name in English ends with an ‘H’ and is also one of the 10 most populous," the answer read. Talsma quickly responded, "What is Bangladesh?" while Schneider didn't respond.

"I had thought that Rhone was going to be tough going into it,” Schneider said in a statement shared with multiple outlets. "I loved hanging out with him, we had great conversation before the taping, but I could tell that he was here to play and that he was going to be good."

"I still came very close to winning, but I did feel like maybe I was slipping a little bit. And once it was clear that he was fast on the buzzer, I knew it was going to be a battle all the way," she added. "It’s really been an honor. To know that I’m one of the most successful people at a game I’ve loved since I was a kid and to know that I’m a part of its history now, I just don’t know how to process it."

Last week, Schneider made history when she surpassed Matt Amodio as the second-most winning contestant on the long-running game show.

Schneider first made headlines in December after setting the record for the most consecutive wins by a woman at 21, beating Julia Collins' 20 wins. Schneider is also the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions.

Viewers will get to see her return to the stage when Tournament of Champions returns in the fall. Two new players will join Jeopardy! on Thursday and face Talsma.

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